CHICAGO, IL – “His airness” is still making his presence known in the basketball world!

CHICAGO, IL – “His airness” is still making his presence known in the basketball world!

Michael Jordan has been retired from the NBA for seven seasons and does most of his basketball magic as majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Regardless, he is still a basketball icon and he will forever be known as the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. 2K Sports has turned to “Air Jordan” to grace the cover of their upcoming installment in their basketball franchise.

Publisher 2K sports has confirmed Chicago Bulls legend Michael JOrdan will appear on the cover of NBA 2K11 when it releases on October 5.

“It’s an honor to be featured on the cover of NBA 2K11,” Jordan said in a statement. “I have no doubt that NBA 2K11 will be a big hit with gamers and basketball fans alike. I’m looking forward to getting back out onto the court, virtually. Let’s hope they get my dunk from the foul line right.”

Jordan is like a solar eclipse when it comes to video games. His appearances are rare and when they do happen it’s a sight to be seen. NBA licensing deals did not include rights to use the Bulls icon’s likeness, so many NBA simulations during his playing career often featured a generic player in his place. Among some of the games Jordan appeared in: NES title Jordan vs. Bird: One on One and SNES game Michael Jordan: Chaos in the WIndy City.

“We’ve made a lot of progress over the past 10 years, but we know we have the best NBA video game ever made here,” Jason Argent said, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “So we thought to ourselves how can we embody that and there was only one person on that list who we wanted to have and that was Michael Jordan. Actually getting this done is the most ridiculous win of all-time.”

Although retired, Jordan remains a prominent marketing figure. Jordan, through Nike’s Jordan brand, still sells the majority of premium basketball shoes in the United States. He also has endorsement deals with Hanes, Gatorade, Upper Deck and Five Star Frangrances. Aside from being the majority owner of the Bobcats, he has a motorsports team, is a partner in a restaurant business and owns Nissan dealerships in North Carolina. It’s safe to say that “His Airness” is still as prominent today as he was at the prime of his career.